Château Pouget

In 1650 the estate belonged to Etienne Monteil, a canon of Saint-Émilion, whose granddaughter made François-Antoine Pouget her universal legatee in 1748; the estate takes its name from him. Before the Pouget family, the vineyard had once been cultivated by the monks of Cantenac's ancient priory. Pouget's daughter Claire married Pierre-Antoine de Chavailles in 1771, and for over a century and a half the Pouget de Chavailles family ran the estate. Under the French Revolution the family's property was placed under sequestration; it was recovered only in 1798, when the Gironde administration lifted the sequestration, though part of the estate was confiscated and attached to the Domaine National. From 1748 to the early 20th century the estate changed hands through inheritance only. Since 1906 the estate has been in the hands of the Guillemet family. In 1932 the Guillemet family, already owners of Château Pouget, entered the history of Château Boyd-Cantenac, taking over and developing its production; that year Louis Guillemet bought the Boyd-Cantenac brand. For several decades the wines of the Guillemet holdings were handled together; as of 2015 they were produced separately.

• 1650: the estate belonged to Etienne Monteil, a canon of Saint-Émilion.
• 1748: François-Antoine Pouget inherited the estate, which takes his name.
• 1771: his daughter Claire married Pierre-Antoine de Chavailles; the Pouget de Chavailles family ran the estate for over a century and a half.
• 1798: the sequestration imposed under the Revolution was lifted, with part of the estate confiscated.
• 1906: the estate passed into the hands of the Guillemet family.
• 1932: the Guillemet family, already owners of Pouget, entered the history of Château Boyd-Cantenac.

The estate's site names Lucien Guillemet as technical director of Château Pouget. Lucien Guillemet is an oenologist and agronomic engineer; for several years he headed production at a neighbouring grand cru while his father ran Boyd-Cantenac. On the family's Boyd-Cantenac site, Lucien Guillemet and his nephew Olivier Salques represent the family's continuity today, with Olivier Salques becoming progressively involved in the management of Château Boyd-Cantenac.

• Owner: the Guillemet family, since 1906.
• Technical director: Lucien Guillemet, an oenologist and agronomic engineer.
• Olivier Salques, Lucien Guillemet's nephew, is progressively becoming involved in the management of Château Boyd-Cantenac.

Château Pouget's 10 hectares of vineyard lie in the very heart of the siliceous gravels of Margaux, in the commune of Cantenac. The vineyard is planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, and the average age of the vines is over 35 years. Pruning is done by hand in winter. The number of workers at Château Pouget is doubled from May to July and quadrupled during the harvest, and chemical fertilisers are not used. The harvest begins with Merlot, the earliest-ripening variety, and is picked by hand to allow rigorous selection; it lasts between 10 and 25 days. The grapes are sorted both in the vineyard and at the winery.

• 10 hectares in the heart of the siliceous gravels of Margaux.
• Planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc; average vine age over 35 years.
• Hand pruning in winter; no chemical fertilisers.
• Hand harvest beginning with Merlot, lasting 10 to 25 days, with sorting in the vineyard and at the winery.

Fermentation and maceration take place in both cement vats and stainless steel tanks, with numerous pump-overs; maceration lasts from around 8 to 35 days depending on the vintage. Fruit from young vines receives lighter extraction and becomes one of the components of the second wine. Malolactic fermentation takes place partly in barrel. The wines age for 12 to 24 months in barrels made from split oak rather than sawn staves. The grapes of each vineyard block are kept separate through harvest, vinification and barrel ageing; the lots are tasted periodically, and the most complementary are combined to make Château Pouget, while the other lots, with some of the young-vine wines, mostly go into the second wines.

• Cement vats and stainless steel tanks; maceration of around 8 to 35 days.
• Malolactic fermentation partly in barrel.
• 12 to 24 months in split-oak barrels.
• Each vineyard block kept separate until blending.

Château Pouget was classified as a Fourth Growth in the 1855 classification of the Médoc, listed in the commune of Cantenac-Margaux. In the Intendance classification of 1775, drawn up for tax purposes by the Bordeaux brokers and published and applied in 1776, the Cru de Pouget stood at the head of the fourth class of Margaux-Cantenac; around 1776 its wines traded on the Bordeaux market at 600 to 625 livres per tonneau. About ten years after the 1855 classification, the de Chavailles family converted part of the cellar into a residence and placed on its pediment two marble medallions that refer to different classifications.

• Fourth Growth (4ème Cru Classé), 1855.
• Head of the fourth class of Margaux-Cantenac in the 1775 Intendance classification.
• Two marble medallions on the building's pediment refer to different classifications.

The grand vin, Château Pouget, is an AOC Margaux 4ème Grand Cru Classé 1855. The second wine, Antoine Pouget, takes its name from the founder of the vineyard, François-Antoine Pouget, a king's counsellor in the reign of Louis XV, and its label carries the estate's coat of arms, which the Maréchal-Duc de Richelieu gave to the château. For the 2018 vintage, the harvest ran from October 1 to October 23, and the primeur blend was 49% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc. The wines of Château Pouget and Château Boyd-Cantenac are sold through a shared estate e-shop. Visits are by appointment only.

• Château Pouget: AOC Margaux, 4ème Grand Cru Classé 1855.
• Antoine Pouget: second wine, named after François-Antoine Pouget.
• 2018: harvested October 1 to 23; primeur blend 49% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc.

The estate's own account of its recent vintages calls them 'dark and dense, with complex aromas of fruit and spices,' with a mouth-filling volume followed by 'the ripe tannins which assure excellent aging capability.' The estate calls the general balance 'always elegant, more aromatic than powerful.' Of the second wine, the estate writes that Antoine Pouget is 'a well rounded, accessible, gourmet and fruity wine.'

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.chateau-pouget.com/english/, https://www.chateau-pouget.com/english/history/, https://www.chateau-pouget.com/english/the-wines/, https://www.chateau-pouget.com/english/the-wines/culture/, https://www.chateau-pouget.com/english/the-wines/vinifications/, https://www.chateau-pouget.com/english/the-wines/the-second-wines/, https://www.chateau-pouget.com/english/contact-visits/, https://www.chateau-pouget.com/francais/histoire/, and the estate's 2018 technical sheet (PDF): https://www.chateau-pouget.com/app/download/31945079/Fiche+Pouget+2018+GB.pdf. Owner group sources: https://boyd-cantenac.fr/a-propos/ and the estate e-shop https://shop.boyd-cantenac.fr/fr/ and https://shop.boyd-cantenac.fr/fr/nos-vins/180-858-chateau-pouget.html. Secondary sources: Decanter (https://www.decanter.com/wine-travel/chateau-pouget-68298/, last updated 28 May 2015; https://www.decanter.com/learn/the-official-bordeaux-wine-classification-of-1855-41072/) and Wine Spectator (https://www.winespectator.com/articles/the-1855-bordeaux-classification-3491). Last verified 2026-10-20. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.